Friday, September 10, 2010

Airbrushed Fridays: 1974 Topps #495

I continue to find it baffling how a team can be so good against a quality opponent one night, yet so terrible against lousy teams on many other nights. Baseball, I don't get you. Or, more specifically... 2010 Cardinals, I don't get you at all! On an unrelated note...

Dick McAuliffe was a middle infielder who spent most of his 16 year career with the Detroit Tigers. Despite a lifetime batting average of just .247, McAuliffe was a three-time All-Star and finished 7th in MVP voting in 1968, the year the Tigers beat the Cardinals in an epic 7-game series. McAuliffe's best season statistically was actually 1966, when he had a career high .882 OPS, an astronomical number for a second baseman. Sadly, his last name reminds me of this tragic woman.

Why did Topps airbrush Dick's photo? McAuliffe was dealt after the end of the 1973 season to Boston for Ben Oglivie, who was just beginning a remarkable career of his own.

What's wrong with this picture, anyway? It looks like the design department was able to leave Dick's jersey alone, but someone saw fit to draw what appears to be a patch on his cap and make a sloppy 'B' out of it.

(If you are interested in obtaining a card featured here, please send me an e-mail. If you have a card you would like to nominate for Airbrushed Fridays, please get in touch as well. I will require that I am able to see the card in person, either on loan or as a donation, so that I can examine the card and experience it in all its cruddiness.)

1 comment:

I sent you this just because of the half-assed job they did. I mean, I want FULL-assed bad airbrushing!

Bill James once wrote about McAuliffe's batting stance but never could find a picture of it. He was amazed by that because it was so unique. I wonder if there's an old wire service photo that will burble up the intarwebs someday.

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